Corset or the like



O 22, 1940- J. x. GAGNON CORSET OR THE LIKE Original Filed Dec. 3, 1858 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Jase 4k 1T. figgnan BY r I W ATTO NEY Get. 22, 1940. x GAGNON 2,218,747

CORSET OR THE LIKE Original Filed Deb. 5, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Jasmin )fl Qaghan VWCM ATTORNEY v Patented Oct. 22, 1940 UNITED. STATES CORSET OR THE LIKE Joseph X. Gagnon, Aldenville, Mass, assignor to The Standard Corset Company, Holyoke, Mass.,

a corporation of Massachusetts Continuation of application .Serial No. 243.742,, December 3, 1938. This application July 11, 1939, Serial No. 283,742"- 2 Claims.

This invention relates to garments and has more particularly reference to corsets or the like such as girdles, corselettes, belts, etc.

- The main object and feature of the invention is to provide a garment that can be quickly tensioned and thereby readily adjusted to the bo y of the wearer, the construction being. such that the strains due to the tension set up are distributed to make the garment hug the figure and prevent the garment from riding when bending the body.

This application is a continuation of one filed December 3, 1938, Ser. No. 243,742.

In the accompanying drawings the invention is disclosed in a preferred form in which Fig. 1 is a rear view of a girdle;-

Fig. la is a sectional view on line la-Ia of Fi 1;

Fig. 2 is a front view thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the action of the non-elastic but extensible seams when subjected to the strain of an elastic section or insert.

The girdle or other garment is composed of a 5 plurality of connected sections, each of which may consist of one or more panels, arranged circumferentially of the body. In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, there are two main sections, one a back section 3 and another a front section 4, the latter composed here of material that is non-elastic, and the former composed at least in part of material such as insert 1 that is elastic in a direction at one or more angles to intermediate sections 5 and 6 composed of circumferentially elastic material.

In the present instance, back section 3 is composed of upper and lower portions 8 and 9 of inelastic material between which portions is interposed insert 1. In the present instance, said insert is in a single piece and is V-shaped or chevron-shaped. Section 3, containing insert 1, is connected to the circumferentially adjacent sections (in this instance circumferentially elastic sections 5 and 5) by seams l2 and I3 which extend generally but not uninterruptedly lengthwise of the body, said seams being provided with angularly disposed portions l5 and I6 and insert 1 having tongues Ill and II that extend into the zones of the adjacent sections. These seams are non-elastic being formed by sewing the material of adjacent sections and a non-elastic tape I'I together. It will be understood, however, that these seams are in effect extensible and contractible by variations in the angularity of portions l5 and It in response to strains imposed by (01. a-si) the elastic material of 5 and 6 or I. This variation is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 3 where arrow 20 indicates the direction in which I is expanded as when bending the body, the effect of this being to decrease the angularity of 5 portions l5 and It as indicated by dotted lines 2| thereby pulling material from circumferentially adjacent sections in the directions of arrows 22. When the tension is relieved on I the action will be reversed, the circumferentially elastic m material of 5 and 6 exerting a pull tending to restore insert 1 to normal. The means to tension the girdle around the figure consist in the present instance of a fastener M of the zipper type located in front section 4. Iii

By the means disclosed the garment tends to keep close to the figure and the formation of unsightly protuberances or buckles and riding of the garment when bending the body are prevented as will be seen from the following: when 20 the girdle is tensioned about the body, as by means of M, the material of intermediate sections 5 and 6 stretches, and that this stretching will transmit itself to a certain extent to the V- shaped insert but at gradually increasing angles 25 to that of the original stretch and will therefore prevent buckling. Conversely, when the body is bent and the material of the insert is thereby stretched, the up and down stretch of said insert becomes more and more angular to the 30 vertical as the tongues are reached and is finally transmitted to a certain extent to the intermediate sections.

I claim:

1. In a garment composed of a plurality of connected sections arranged circumferentially of the body, the combination with two intermediate sections composed of circumferentially elastic material; and two main sections composed of circumferentially inelastic material; of a substantially V-shaped insert, composed of a material that is elastic in a direction at an angle to that of the intermediate sections, interposed between an upper and a lower portion of one of the main sections and connecting said intermediate sec- 5 tions, said V-shaped insert having tongues that extend into the zones of the intermediate sections; and means to tension the garment circumferentially, located in said other main section.

2. In a garment composed of a plurality of connected sections arranged circumferentially of the body, the combination with two intermediate sections composed of circumferentially elastic material; and a front and a back section 55 composed of circumferentially inelastic material; of a substantially V-shaped insert, composed of a material that is elastic in a. direction at an angle to that of the intermediate sections, interposed between an upper and a lower portion of the back section and connecting said intermediate sections, said V-shaned insert having tongues that extend into the zones of the intermediate sections; and means to tension the garment circumterentially, located -in the front section.

JOSEPH X. GAGNON. 

